The Cotonou Agreement, a treaty between the European Union and the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP countries), was signed in in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin, by 79 ACP countries and the then fifteen Member States of the EU. It entered into force in 2002 and is the latest agreement in the history of ACP-EU Development Cooperation. As of Dec 31, 2007, the Cotonou Agreement ceased to be legal under the rules of the WTO.
Links: Benin, EU, Africa, WTO

In the Netherlands the last day of the Global Warming conference at the Hague produced only a declaration of intent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A compromise between US and EU negotiators failed. An increase of 4.5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit was predicted in the coming 100 years if greenhouse gas emissions were not reduced.
Links: USA, EU, Environment, Netherlands

2000 Dec 1

The European Commission demanded reductions in fishing including 60% cuts of cod and hake catches due to overfishing.
Links: EU, Fish

2000 Dec 4

European Union farm ministers approved a six-month ban on animal products in fodder, part of an extraordinary plan to stem growing panic over mad cow disease.
Links: EU, Mad Cow

2000 Dec 6

A European Union summit began in Nice to prepare for expansion to 27 or more members.
Links: France, EU

Some 4,000 protestors clashed with police at the opening of the EU summit in Nice.
Links: EU, Summit

2000 Dec 11

The EU in Nice reached a compromise in the early hours on a treaty that gave the 4 most populous countries a stronger voice in decision making and paved the way for as many as 13 new members over the next decade.
Links: France, EU

In Turkey the Cabinet approved a detailed program of political, economic and legal reforms to secure entry to the EU.
Links: Turkey, EU

2001 Mar 22

Two Albanians were killed by Macedonian police at a checkpoint when they appeared to pull grenades. The EU urged Macedonia to show restraint and intensify discussions with Albanian militants.
Links: Albania, EU, Macedonia

2001 Mar 24

EU leaders ended a 2 day meeting in Stockholm announced that they would dispatch a team of mediators to help the peace process between North and South Korea.
Links: North Korea, EU, South Korea, Sweden

It was reported that Germany’s Chancellor Schroeder had proposed a draft for turning the EU Executive Commission into a European government and giving the EU Parliament full power over the 15-nation budget.
Links: Germany, EU

In North Korea Kim Jong Il agreed to hold talks with visiting EU officials about his missile program and tensions with South Korea. Kim Jong Il announced that North Korea would launch no ballistic missiles until 2003.
Links: North Korea, EU

2001 May 14

The European Commission announced that it would establish diplomatic ties with North Korea.
Links: North Korea, EU

2001 Jun 8

Irish voters rejected the EU’s Nice treaty to pave the way for 12 new members. The Irish reportedly feared immigrants in search of jobs and participation in an EU Rapid Reaction Force.
Links: EU, Ireland

2001 Jun 14

Pres. Bush clashed with EU leaders in Sweden over his global warming policy, unwavering in his opposition to a global warming treaty. The EU leaders said they would move to implement the Kyoto treaty without the US.
Links: USA, EU, Environment, Sweden, BushGW

2001 Jun 16

In Goteborg, Sweden, 15 EU leaders ended a 3-day summit and agreed to a firm timetable to admit new members by 2004.
Links: EU, Sweden

General Electric's $41 billion purchase of Honeywell International was vetoed by the European Union. It was the first time a merger of two U.S. companies was stopped solely by European regulators.
Links: EU, M&A

2001 Aug 13

In Macedonia a peace deal was signed by rival leaders of the 2 main ethnic groups and paved the way for NATO troops to arrive and disarm ethnic Albanian rebels. Representatives of the EU, USA and NATO helped Macedonian politicians produce a plan for peace at Lake Ohrid called the Ohrid agreement.
Links: Albania, USA, EU, NATO, Macedonia

2001 Sep 9

EU foreign ministers agreed on the need for a new int’l. military force to provide security in Macedonia after NATO withdrawal.
Links: EU, NATO, Macedonia

2001 Sep 27

The WTO issued a blueprint for a new round of talks scheduled for Nov 9 in Qatar. It called for concessions from the US, EU and Japan in opening markets for textiles, steel and agriculture.
Links: Qatar, USA, Japan, EU, WTO, Agriculture

2001 Oct 4

The EU made a joint announcement with Spain that the Basque ETA would be put on the list of terrorist organizations whose assets would be frozen by the EU.
Links: Spain, EU, Basques, ETA

EU leaders concluded a 2-day Council at Laeken, Belgium. The adoption of the Laeken Declaration on the Future of Europe, established the European Convention. A constitutional convention was planned. This process was supposed to simplify the EU’s legal architecture. The admittance of 10 new members over the next 2 years was also planned. The EU declared their nascent joint military force operational.
Links: Belgium, EU

2001 Dec 16

The EU held a weekend summit near Brussels and declared their nascent joint military force operational. A constitutional convention was planned as well as the admittance of 10 new members over the next 2 years.
Links: Belgium, EU

An EU directive gave member nations until 2006 to comply with an art sale levy, droit de suite (right of continuation), allowing artists to claim a sliding scale royalty on the resale price of their works selling for over 1000 euros.
Links: Artist, EU

2001

The EU began work on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The final package was expected to come into force in April, 2007.
Links: EU, Chemistry

At Washington’s request the UN Security Council ordered that the assets of Yassin Qadi, a Saudi businessman and multimillionaire, be frozen soon after the Sep 11 attacks in NYC. He was alleged to be a financier of Islamic terrorism with close links to al-Qaida. The EU froze the assets of Yasin al-Qadi, a Saudi businessman, and the Al-Barakaat International Foundation, a Sweden-based charity suspected of funding al-Qaida terror groups. In 2008 the EU's highest court overturned the decision saying the order failed to offer those on a terror blacklist any legal rights to a judicial review under European law. Also frozen were the assets of Omar Mohammed Othman, also known as Abu Qatada, an extremist Muslim preacher from Jordan. In 2009 an EU court voided the freeze on Othman due to lack of proper judicial review. Othman has lived in Britain since 1993, has been arrested several times there under anti-terrorist legislation and currently faced deportation to Jordan.
Links: Britain, USA, EU, UN, Sweden, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, al-Qaida

The EU ordered home from Zimbabwe its 30-member observer team and voted to impose sanctions, which included cutting off $110 million in aid, a ban on travel to the EU by Mugabe and 20 Cabinet members and freezing of assets.
Links: EU, Zimbabwe

2002 Mar 1

Envisat ("Environmental Satellite"), an Earth-observing satellite, was launched aboard an Ariane 5 from the Guyana Space Center in Kourou, French Guyana. After losing contact with the satellite on 8 April 2012, the European Space Agency formally announced the end of Envisat's mission on 9 May 2012.
Links: EU, Environment, Earth, Space, French Guiana

2002 Mar 4

European Union’s 15 members ratified the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, but failed to set pollutant-emission levels to meet the accord’s targets.
Links: EU, Environment

2002 May 28

The EU announced plans to overhaul its 100,000-vessel fishing industry with some national fleets to be cut by up to 60% due to overfishing.
Links: EU, Fish

2002 May 29

The EU upgraded Russia to the status of a full market economy.
Links: Russia, EU